Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are fully aware of the seriousness of the situation. It is not just Tuktoyaktuk or the Beaufort Delta in these types of circumstances. We found over the course of the past couple of years, and certainly over the past few months, that there has been more than a considerable strain on the nursing profession, and nurse practitioners throughout the Northwest Territories as a result of the increasing recruitment from other jurisdictions, other countries, particularly the United States.
As the honourable Member noted, I just came from a federal/provincial/territorial Health Minister's meeting. It is an issue that is not just within our jurisdiction, but certainly, a national problem as well, particularly in the rural areas and the remote locations of the northern provinces that operate very similar to the Northwest Territories. What we have done, Mr. Speaker, is quite frankly, we think there has to be a long-term solution in having Northerners recruited and placed in positions where they can hopefully, will stay and provide service to their own constituents, whether it is in their home community or certainly in the Northwest Territories. That is on a longer scale.
On the short-term, right now we are doing some work with our partners, the boards in trying to identify where we can fill in on a short-term basis, some of the immediate needs. We certainly have a concern in this area, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.